Automatic drainage-valve.



O. G. PEGK. AUTOMATIC DRAINAGE VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1909.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTQE CASSIUS CARROLL PEGK, OF ROCHESTER, NEWYORK.

AUTOMATIC DRAINAGE-VALVE.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CAssIUs CARROLL PEOK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Automatic Drainage- Valve,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to the class of heating apparatusin which differential pressure is maintained as between radiators andtheir return pipes, there being usually some degree of vacuum in thelatter, with less vacuum, or low steam pressure, in radiators.

It is also adapted to draining water of condensation from supply pipesand risers into return piping, and for other like uses.

The special object sought and attained in heating systems is toautomatically and constantly drain water of condensation from supplypipes and radiators without allowing escape of steam from said pipes andradiators into return piping. In connection with water drainage separateprovision is made for constant withdrawal of air from radiators by asmall air passage opening into the valve case at the upper portionthereof and discharging into the connection with return piping, saidpassage being plugged, or not drilled, when the valve is used fordraining supply mains, or risers, into returns.

In a valve for the aforesaid service the following are essentialrequirements, and are duly provided for in this invention, namely, largescreen surface with fine mesh to prevent clogging and leakage at thevalve seat by grease, scale and dirt which are always present in aheating circuit and which are constantly carried by the circulation toradiator drainage valves, this great source of trouble being guardedagainst by a cylindrical screen at entrance to the valve;

secondly, a float for actuating the water drainage valve, said floathaving suflicient power to hold the valve tightly to its seat againstany degree of vacuum that is maintained in return piping, this end beingattained in this invention by the lever which is connected to the floatat one end and with the valve-stem at the opposite end, the fulcrum ofthe lever being close to the valve; thirdly, a large sediment chamberfor de posit of solid matter is provided in advance Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed August 19, 1909.

Patented Dec. 28, 19cc. Serial No. 513,685.

of the valve and its seat, as shown in the drawings; fourthly, makingthe valve and its seat accessible for cleaning, so as to avoid need of aby-pass, this end being reached by the plugged opening in the extensionof the valve case; and, fifthly, means of reaching all parts of thevalve structure for cleaning, repairs, or adjustment, these requirementsbeing met in my valve by the plugged openings, the removable fulcrumsupports, and the removable screen.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical, central section through thevalve body and the screen, showing the float, lever and valve stem inelevation. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the discharge end of the valve.Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the valve body through broken line 38, Fig.l, the valve lever with the valve stem and the lever fulcrum being shownin plan. Fig. at is a crosssection of the screen and its frame taken onplane of broken line 4l4, Fig. 1.

In the several figures the numeral 1 indicates the case, or body, of thevalve which has a cap 2, made preferably to screw down upon the body ofthe valve, in manner to form an air-tight joint. This cap may have as anintegral part thereof, as shown in Fig. l, a downwardly projecting frame2 for carrying a screen 3 made of wire cloth, or of perforated sheetmetal. Where wire cloth is used there should generally be from 18 to 24wires per inch. The screen frame may, however, be made and usedseparately from the cap 2, as indicated by broken lines 3", Fig. 1, thislatter arrangement being more especially suited to large sizes of thevalve. The lower end of frame 2 is made with a ring which has a flange3" at its lower edge, the circular diameter of which fits withsuflicient closeness the inside of the valve body 1 to prevent anythingbut very fine solid matter from passing between the ring flange and thevalve body, so that the screen shall be effective in intercepting solidmatter which enters the valve body. In place of the flange on the framering, a ledge 3 on the bodyof the valve may be substituted, as indicatedin broken lines, in which case the screen frame would seat on the ledge.The former of these two ways of making the screen frame joint Iconsider. preferable when said frame is attachedeither permanently, orremovably, to cap 2. Frame 2 also serves as a guide to float a as itrises I and sinks with varying water level in the valve body. The inletto the valve body is at 5, this being usually provided with a union 6having a tailpiece 6 for attachment to a radiator, or other surfacerequiring to be drained. The outlet for the valve body is at 7. Float 4is loosely connected with its lever 8 by an eye 4*, and the lever iscarried on fulcrum 9, which is supported by the two plugs 9 and 9 and inturn carries valve-stem 10, which plays easily on its pivot and ispreferably made heaviest at the lower end of the stem so as to hold thelatter in a vertical position. The valve-stem is also made heavy for thepurpose of counterbalancing the opposite end of the lever and thusrelieve the float of the weight of the lever. In case the valve-stemdoes not sufiiciently counterbalance the other end of the lever,increased weight may be given the valve end of the lever by weightingit, as indicated by broken lines at 8 Valve seat and passage 11, Fig. 1,are drilled from the lower side through the hole filled by plug 12 forthe purpose of avoiding a rough edge of metal at the valve seat and forslightly beveling the seat, said passage serving to connect sedimentchamber 1a with air and water passage 15. The latter passage and thevalve passage are reached from the upper side through plugged hole 13.Air passage 16 connects water passage 15 with the upper interior spaceof the valve body by the relatively small opening 17, which constitutesa continuously operating air vent. A large clean-out plug 18 affordsaccess to sediment chamber 14:, and is servicable in placing the floaton the valve lever, two stops 8 and 8 being used on the lever to preventthe float eye 4: from slipping out of place.

Operation is as follows: The tail-piece 6 of union 6 being screwed intoany receptacle which is to be drained, the valve may be used withoutother connection as an automatic draining device, in which case waterthat enters the valve body through inlet 5 will flow out by gravitythrough outlet valve passage 11 and discharge connection 7. Before anywater enters the valve body, valve 10 will be held to its seat atpassage 11 by weight of float 4L acting through the connecting eye r 011lever 8, fulcrumed at 9, on valve-stem 10, downward pressure of thefloat carrying that end of the lever in the samedirection and theopposite end, with attached valve-stem, upward. WVhen sufficient depthof water accumulates in the valve body it will raise the float and thuscarry upward the end of the lever to which it is attached and by movingthe opposite end downward will carry the attached valve away from itsseat, thus giving passage for outflow of water through valve seat 11 andoutlet'7. As discharge lowers water level in the valve body the floatsinks with it, thus depressing the float end of lever 8 and raising theother end with the valve and bringing the latter to its seat. Thisaction of the float, lever and valve is continuous so long as Watercontinues to flow into the valve body; extent of movement of the floatbeing determined by rapidity of influx.

Usually a pipe will be connected at 7 for conveying discharged water tosome place of use, or to waste. The valve can therefore be used to drainany receptacle where there is excess of pressure on the inlet side ofthe valve. The valve is primarily designed for draining heatingcircuits, and is especially adapted for vacuum systems. One condition ofits design is that the outlet shall be sufliciently below the inlet toinsure water sealing of the outlet valve seat, so that no steam or aircan at any time pass through the outlet valve passage in eitherdirection. In circulating steam in heating systems by aid of vacuum inreturn piping this condition is of great importance, inasmuch as thepresence of steam in return pipes reduces proportionately the degree ofvacuum therein, or else increases expenditure of energy to maintain agiven degree of vacuum, and the partial vacuum which forms in radiatorsafter steam supply has been shut off from them tends to draw intoradiators vapor in return pipes, which causes accumulation of water andwater-hammer therein. In all so-called vacuum heating systems it isintended that vacuum in return piping shall extend only to the vacuumvalves which are attached to the drainage outlet of heating units,except that it is needful to provide a quite small constantly openpassage for removal of air. This requirement is met by my duct 16 andvent 17 through which lower pressure in return piping than in radiatorsacts to continually draw a little steam and air, said vent being placedso high as to avoid danger of being stopped. A good condition alsosecured by the air vent is that when a radiator is shut off, and vacuumis maintained on returns, the radiator will gradually acquire the samedegree of vacuum as said returns, which will induce filling with steamvery quickly when the supply valve is opened.

Float 4 can be given more or less power to move lever 8 in eitherdirection by weighting the valve stem as required, or by adding ordecreasing weight at the valve end of the lever as indicated by thebroken lines 8 which are intended to represent a weight. If most powerhe required to open the valve, then the valve-stem, or end of lever, isweighted to more than counterbalance the opposite end, and therefore aidflotation and correspondingly increase power of the float; while ifgreatest power is desired for holding the valve closed, the float end ofthe lever is made heaviest. If the lever be exactly balanced, then theline of flotation is at about the horizontal center of the float.

In vacuum heating systems one of the chief operative difficultiesconsists in the presence of grease, scale, core sand, iron rust, fiber,etc., which are carried along by the currents of steam and water and atlength find lodgment in return valves of radiators. These valves allhave relatively small openings as compared with ordinary valves andaccordingly are liable to become more or less clogged, and in this statederange operation of a vacuum system, as it takes no great amount ofleakage through return valves to flood return piping with steam and thusreduce, or destroy, vacuum. Such condition is guarded against in myvalve, first, by the cylindrical screen 3 through which all waterentering the valve body must pass; second, by the large sediment chamber14 below the screen for deposit of such solids as pass through thescreen; third, by locating the discharge valve at top of the sedimentchamber so as to make outflowing water take an upward course past thevalve seat and through the valve passage 11; and, fourth, by so placingthe outlet valve seat that it shall remain always submerged, to the endthat floating substances may tend to remain in the valve body above theseat and substances which are specifically heavier than water will tendto settle to the bottom of the sediment chamber. In case the valve seatand passage do become fouled, they can be reached and cleaned byremoving plug 13. Plug 18 gives access to the sediment chamber 14; bothfor cleaning and for reaching the operative parts connected with thefloat, lever and valve.

Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic water drainage valve, a valve body having a verticalfloat chamber with an inlet port; a float in said chamber; a leverhaving one end attached to the lower side of the float; a horizontalextension of the valve body to form a valve chamber below the normalwater level in the valve body and to provide suitable length of valvelever; an outlet valve passage with valve seat formed directly in themetal of the valve body at the top of said chamber; a short stemmed,upwardly closing valve for said passage attached to the aforesaid leverat the opposite end from the float; a ful' crum for the lever near thevalve; and a plugged opening in the valve body directly beneath theoutlet valve passage to provide for drilling the said passage from thevalve seat side and for cleaning the valve chamber.

2. In an automatic water drainage valve, the combination of a valve bodyhaving a float chamber with an inlet port; a float in said chamber; anupwardly opening outlet port above its valve and below the level of theinlet port and of the normal water level in the valve body; a leverattached at one end to the float; a fulcrum for said lever placed nearthe outlet valve; with an upwardly discharging outlet valve having itsstem attached to said lever at the end of the lever which is opposite tothe float and having the valve stem supported above its center ofgravity in such manner as to swing freely and its lower end weighted tomaintain the valve stem in vertical position and to counterbalance thelong arm of its lever.

3. In an automatic drainage valve for a vacuum heating system, thecombination of a valve body having an inlet port at its upper portion;an outlet valve in a side extension of the valve body forming a valvechamber at the lower portion of said valve body; a float in the valvebody having its line of flotation and normal water level in the valvebody below the inlet port; a lever attached to the float at one end andto the outlet valve stem at the opposite end; a fulcrum for the levernear the outlet valve stem; a combined air and water outlet passage incommunication with the valve body drain pipe connection above the valvechamher; a small air duct formed on the outside of the valve bodyadapted for conducting a little air and vapor from the upper portion ofthe float chamber into said air and water passage; and a valve passa efrom the valve chamber beneath into the air and water passage aboveadapted to be closed by upward movement of the outlet valve stem causedby lowering of the water level in the valve body and consequently of thefloat controlling the valve lever, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an automatic drainage valve for steam radiators, the combinationof a vertical cylindrical valve body having an inlet port on its sidenear its top; an outlet port in a side extension of the valve bodyforming a valve chamber at the lower portion of said valve body; a floatin said cylindrical portion of the valve body so placed that the normalwater line in the valve body will bring its line of flotation below theinlet port; a removable screen inclosing the ver tical sides of thefloat and so fitting at its lower end the vertical walls of the valvebody as to compel all water which enters the valve body to pass throughthe screen before reaching the float; a sediment chamber be. low thescreen and the float; a lever so hinged to the float as to allow ofdirectly vertical movement of the float as-it is raised and lowered bychanges of water level in the valve body; an outlet valve with avertically set stem having a hinged connection to the end of the leverin'the valve chamber; a fulcrum for said lever near said. valve &944,816

stein; an outlet passage above the valve upper portion of said body andwith the adapted to be closed by upward movement valve body outlet, allsnbstantmlly as shown of the valve stem; a combined air and water andset forth.

passage above said outlet valve coinlnnni- CASSIUS CARROLL PECK. eatingwlth the valve drainpipe connection; itnessesz and an an passageexterior to the valve HOWARD WV. CLARK,

body providing communication with the FRED FISH.

